Armageddon (2004)
Armageddon (2004) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on December 12, 2004, at the Gwinnett Center in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Georgia. It was the fifth annual Armageddon chronology. Nine professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card. The event featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand. It was the fifth annual Armageddon event. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which theatrical events are combined with a competitive sport. The buildup to the matches and the scenarios that took place before, during, and after the event were planned by WWE's script writers. The event starred wrestlers from the SmackDown brand: storyline expansions of the promotion where employees are assigned to wrestling brands under the WWE banner. All 4 championships exclusive to the SmackDown! brand were contested for; one was lost while the other three were retained. The main event was a Fatal-Four Way match for the WWE Championship involving Eddie Guerrero, champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), Booker T and The Undertaker, which JBL won after pinning Booker. One of the predominant matches on the undercard was The Big Show versus Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns in a Handicap match. Big Show won the match after pinning Jindrak following an F-5. Another primary match on the card was John Cena versus Jesús in a Street Fight for the WWE United States Championship, which Cena won by pinfall after executing an FU. Storylines The main feud heading into Armageddon was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, and The Undertaker over the WWE Championship. At the previous pay-per-view Survivor Series, JBL faced Booker T for the WWE Championship. Before the match began, JBL announced that if he lost the match he would leave professional wrestling forever. JBL won the match and retained the title after hitting Booker with the WWE Championship belt. Four nights later on SmackDown!, JBL, Guerrero, Booker and Undertaker were all arguing over who should be the next No 1 contender for the WWE Championship. SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long then announced that JBL would be defending the WWE Championship against Guerrero, Booker T and Undertaker at Armageddon. One week later, JBL and Orlando Jordan faced Booker T and Guerrero in a tag team match. JBL and Jordan won the match following interference from the Basham Brothers. When the match was over, Undertaker came out and attacked JBL's cabinet followed by executing a Tombstone Piledriver to JBL. One week later, Theodore Long, booked JBL, Jordan, and The Basham Brothers to face, Guerrero, Booker and Undertaker in a 7-man handicap tag team match in the main event. Undertaker, Booker and Guerrero won the match. A secondary feud heading into Armageddon was between John Cena and Carlito over the WWE United States Championship. The feud started four nights after No Mercy, when Cena was interrupted by Carlito. Carlito stated that he wanted a United States title shot, which Cena agreed to. Later that night, Cena lost the United States title after being hit in the head with his signature chain. One week later on SmackDown!, general manager Therdore Long, announced that Cena had been involved in an after hours bar fight. Long said that Cena had been (kayfabe) stabbed in the kidney by Carlito's bodyguard, Jesús. The feud restarted on the November 18, when Cena returned from his injury. Cena stated that he wanted revenge on Carlito and he wanted his United States Championship back. Cena defeated Carlito for the title, but after the match Carlito's bodyguard Jesús attacked Cena in the kidney, which forced Cena to be taken out on a stretcher. Aftermath After the pay-per-view, the feud between JBL, Undertaker, Guerrero, and Booker slowly died down. JBL went to feud with the Big Show and Kurt Angle over the WWE Championship, which would end at No Way Out. Undertaker went to feud with Heidenreich, which led to a Casket match at the Royal Rumble, which Undertaker won. Cena and Carlito's feud ended after the event, as Cena went on to win a tournament at No Way Out to challenge JBL for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Cena went on to win the WWE Championship from JBL at WrestleMania, and held the title until January 2006, even after being drafted to the Raw brand. Results Other on-screen personnel See also * List of WWE pay-per-view events * Armageddon Category:Armageddon Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events Category:2004 Pay-Per-View Events